Friday, July 4, 2008

Happy 4th of Juleezee

I had a beautiful day today so far. It's 5:41 pmThe date is july 4th 2008I was hungover in manhattan. Woke up on a friend's couch. Went outside and was wandering around. This guy handed me a sheet of newsprint advertising a fourth of july sale at J&R.I thought: what I need is a nice digital camera. Since my old one got ruined in the flood.So I walked over to J&R.I bought a digital camera.I walked across the Brooklyn Bridge.Went down by the water.Took this picture of this patriotic barge.

I wrote a song a while back where I say: "I'm a patriot of Brooklyn/ I pledge allegiance to New York/ the rest I can't really vouch for."

Which, in truth, I cribbed from the great Henry Miller. Who wrote once:

"I am a patriot-of the 14th Ward Brooklyn, where I was raised. The rest of the United States doesn't exist for me, except as idea, or history, or literature."

I feel similarly.

It's hard to have any one unifying feeling about such a large, diverse, ever changing, land mass. It seems odd to me, to feel pride about so much that has nothing to do with us.

I do love the flag though. It's just a really nice design. I like the colors. Word to Betsy Ross.But I know, in the end, this country belongs to big oil men and their ilk. And not to me.

but as Abner Jay says:

"Folks, don't worry about energy crisis because Standard Oil, Shell, Gulf, Mobil, Texaco, Aamaco, Esso, Sunoco, Exxon, Nixon, Standard Oil, General Motors, Chrysler, George Wallace, & Ford is not the backbone of America. The Backbone of America is a mule and cotton."

We took a Chance with this song back in Episode 3.I love Abner Jay and will be chancing more of his beauts in the near future. So stay tuned.